RHODE ISLAND

State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

ORIGIN OF STATE NAME: Named for Rhode Island in Narragansett Bay, which was likened to the isle of Rhodes in the Mediterranean Sea. NICKNAME: The Ocean State; also, Little Rhody. CAPITAL: Providence. ENTERED UNION: 29 May 1790 (13th). SONG: "Rhode Island." MOTTO: Hope. COAT OF ARMS: A golden anchor on a blue field. FLAG: In the center of a white field is a golden anchor and beneath it is a blue ribbon with the state motto in gold letters, all surrounded by a circle of 13 gold stars. OFFICIAL SEAL: The anchor of the arms is surrounded by four scrolls, the topmost bearing the state motto: the words "Seal of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations 1636" encircle the whole. ANIMAL: Quahaug. BIRD: Rhode Island Red. FLOWER: Violet. TREE: Red maple. MINERAL: Bowenite. ROCK: Cumberlandite. LEGAL HOLIDAYS: New Year's Day, 1 January; Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., 3rd Monday in January; Washington's Birthday, 3rd Monday in February; Memorial Day, last Monday in May; Independence Day, 4 July; Victory Day, 2nd Monday in August; Labor Day, 1st Monday in September; Columbus Day, 2nd Monday in October; Election Day, 1st Tuesday after 1st Monday in November, in even-numbered years; Veterans Day, 11 November; Thanksgiving Day, 4th Thursday in November; Christmas Day, 25 December. TIME: 7 AM EST = noon GMT.

⁵⁰ BIBLIOGRAPHY

Carroll, Charles. Rhode Island: Three Centuries of Democracy . 4 vols. New York: Lewis, 1932.

Conley, Patrick T. Democracy in Decline: Rhode Island's Constitutional Development, 1775–1841. Providence: Rhode Island Historical Society, 1977.

——. Rhode Island Profile. Providence: Rhode Island Publications Society, 1983.

Conley, Patrick T., and Matthew J. Smith. Catholicism in Rhode Island. Providence: Diocese of Providence, 1976.

Federal Writers' Project. Rhode Island: A Guide to the Smallest State. Reprint. New York: Somerset, n.d. (orig. 1937).

James, Sydney V. Colonial Rhode Island: A History. White Plains, N.Y.: Kraus International, 1975.

McLoughlin, William G. Rhode Island: A Bicentennial History. New York: Norton, 1978.

Méras, Phyllis, and Tom Gannon. Rhode Island, An Explorer's Guide. Woodstock, Vt.: Countryman Press; New York: Distributed by W.W. Norton, 2000.

Providence Journal-Bulletin. 1985. Journal-Bulletin Rhode Island Almanac. 99th ed. Providence, n.d.

Rhode Island, Department of Economic Development, Economic Research Division. Rhode Island: Basic Economic Statistics 1982–1983. Providence, 1983.

Rhode Island, Secretary of State. Rhode Island Manual 1983–84. Edited by Edward F. Walsh. Providence, 1983.

Sherman, Steve. Country Roads of Connecticut and Rhode Island: Day Trips and Weekend Excursions. Lincolnwood, Ill.: Country Roads Press, 1999.

Steinberg, Sheila, and Cathleen McGuigan. Rhode Island: An Historical Guide, Providence: Rhode Island Bicentennial Commission, 1976.